... Mike Pouncey (+1.1) got off to a fast start, and Jonathan Martin (+0.5) was largely untested, but the backups were on the back foot from the outset. Second-team left tackle Dallas Thomas (-3.4) was beaten comprehensively for a hit on his first snap and things didn’t get better for him from there on out. Thomas surrendered three pressures (1 Sk, 1 Ht, 1 Hu) and performed poorly as a run blocker (-2.0) in an entirely unimpressive debut. Nate Garner’s performance (-3.1) wasn’t any more encouraging, though Sam Brenner (+1.6) was a relative bright spot, and he got through a high workload to register a team high 60 snaps (split 28 to 32 between center and left guard).

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Things got off to a poor start for the Dolphins’ defense with new linebacker Philip Wheeler (-1.4) losing his way in coverage early on, including a missed tackle, but Derrick Shelby (+1.2, starting at DRE) stood out in a positive manner. His +2.2 pass rush grade was the highest for any player in the game as the second-year defensive end from Utah made the most of his encounter with fellow second-year player Cowboys RT Edawn Coughman. ...

The Dolphins have invested heavily in their receiver corps this offseason, but with Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline combining for precisely zero snaps the chance was there for players battling for a roster spot to stake their claim — and rookie Chad Bumphis (+0.9) did just that. After the departure of Davone Bess the Dolphins have a void at slot receiver, and Bumphis worked almost exclusively from the slot and got through a heavy workload. Bumphis’ 33 routes run from the slot was comfortably the most of any player in the game from either team (Michael Egnew was next with 14) and his five catches on six slot targets certainly gave the Dolphins a long look at what he could do. The downside was a miscommunication with Matt Moore that led to a pick-six as Bumphis looked to settle on his route with Moore looking for him to continue. ...